Finansnyheder

An attorney for Jeffrey Epstein confidant (and alleged groomer) Ghislaine Maxwell told a judge on Wednesday that there are “hundreds” of people named in what is expected to be approximately 2,000 pages of documents ordered unsealed by the federal appeals court in New York, according to Bloomberg.

The lawyer, Jeffrey Pagliuca, told U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska Wednesday that the materials also include an address book with about 1,000 names. Preska is considering how to carry out a ruling by the federal appeals court in New York that she must consider unsealing some of the documents. There was no detail at the hearing as to the identity of the people are named in the documents, and they may include women who say they are victims of Epstein, his friends and others. –Bloomberg

Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts (Giuffre) and Ghislaine Maxwell

According to court filings, Maxwell was said to have hired, supervised and fired household staff, while directing the visits of dozens of “massage therapists” to Epstein’s residence, according to the Journal.

In depositions taken in 2009 and 2010 as part of civil lawsuits against Mr. Epstein, household employees said Ms. Maxwell was a central figure in Mr. Epstein’s private life. Several said Ms. Maxwell hired, supervised, and fired household staff, while directing the visits of dozens of “massage therapists”—typically young women.

Juan Alessi, who said in one of the depositions that he served as the Palm Beach house manager from around 1992 through 2002, described a basket of sex toys in Ms. Maxwell’s bathroom closet. He said he would find them around when he cleaned up after visits from the young women. –WSJ

The document release stems from a 2015 defamation lawsuit in New York brought by Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre against Maxwell. Giuffre says Maxwell helped Epstein traffic herself and other underage girls to sex parties at the billionaire pedophile’s many residences. Maxwell has denied any wrongdoing and called Giuffre a liar.

The case was settled in 2017 and the records were sealed – however appeals by the Miami Herald, Harvard Law professor (and former Epstein pal) Alan Dershowitz and right-wing blogger Mike Cernovich were successful.

In August, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has ordered the partial releaseof Epstein documents, which revealed that Giuffre said that President Trump was a “good friend of Jeffrey’s,” but that Trump ‘didn’t partake in any sex with any of us,” adding “Donald Trump never flirted with me.”

Epstein was found dead in federal lockup last month after his arrest on child sex-trafficking charges. While the case was dismissed against Epstein, Judge Preska must now consider how to release the sealed records – and from the looks of it, the possibility remains that they may not be released at all.